Guilty Gear voice actress steps down to 'support more work for Black actresses'

(Image credit: Arc System Works)

Popular voice artist Erin Fitzgerald has stepped down from the role of Guilty Gear's Ramlethal Valentine in order to "support more work for Black actresses behind the mic."

Fitzgerald, who voiced the character in the Guilty Gear Xrd games, confirmed on Twitter that she had stepped away from the role after fellow voice actress Laura Stahl announced she would be the new voice of Ramlethal for the upcoming Guilty Gear Strive.

"Yes. To those messaging me, I happily stepped away so they could cast more appropriately," Fitzgerald wrote in a quote-retweet on Stohl's announcement. When asked for further explanation, she replied: "The character is black I am not black. I support more work for black actresses behind the mic."

Yes. To those messaging me, I happily stepped away so they could cast more appropriately. https://t.co/zeKpdkPG2UMay 14, 2021

Stahl, who recently provided the English dub for Genshin Impact's Barbara and Xinyan, responded to Fitzgerald's tweet, praising the decision. "Before I accepted the role of Ramlethal, I asked for clarification on the situation, and not only do I deeply respect Erin as an actor, but as an amazing person as well. Thank you for your grace. You are phenomenal."

Guilty Gear Strive is out on June 11 after being delayed back in February.

Thanks, Kotaku.

Mollie spent her early childhood deeply invested in games like Killer Instinct, Toontown and Audition Online, which continue to form the pillars of her personality today. She joined PC Gamer in 2020 as a news writer and now lends her expertise to write a wealth of features, guides and reviews with a dash of chaos. She can often be found causing mischief in Final Fantasy 14, using those experiences to write neat things about her favourite MMO. When she's not staring at her bunny girl she can be found sweating out rhythm games, pretending to be good at fighting games or spending far too much money at her local arcade.